As
per survey carried out by the National Sample Survey Organisation
(NSSO) in 2004-05, the total employment in both Organised
and Unorganised sector in the country was of the
order of 45.9 crore. Out of this about 2.6 crore was in the Organised Sector
and the balance 43.3 crore in the Unorganised
Sector.
With regard to Social
Security to the organised sector
workers, it is being extended to workers as per provisions of various Acts
such as:
i) Employees State
Insurance(ESI) Act, 1948,
ii) Employees’
Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952,
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iii) The Payment of
Gratuity Act, 1972,
iv) Maternity
Benefit (MB) Act, 1961 and
v) Workmen’s(now Employees’) Compensation (WC) Act, 1923.
With regard to social
security to unorganized workers, the Government enacted the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008. The Act provides for constitution of National
Social Security Board which shall recommend social security schemes viz life and disability cover, health
maternity benefits, old age protection and any other benefit as may be
determined by the Government for unorganized workers.
The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana
(RSBY) providing for smart card based
cashless health insurance cover of Rs. 30000 to BPL families (a unit of five)
in the unorganized sector was launched on 01.10.2007 and became operational
from 01.04.2008. More than 2.18 crore BPL families (a unit of five) have been covered under
RSBY as on 30.11.2010.
The scheme has
been extended to building and other construction workers registered under the Building and other
Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment of Condition of Service), Act,
1996 and street vendors.
In the Budget for the year 2010-11,
the Government has announced to extend benefits of
RSBY to all such MGNREGA beneficiaries who have worked for more than 15 days
during the preceding financial year.
Steps are being taken to extend RSBY to MGNREGA beneficiaries.
To provide death and disability cover to rural landless households
between the age group of the 18 to 59 years, the Government launched the “Aam Admi Bima Yojana”.
More than 1.45 crore persons have been covered under the scheme as on
31.07.2010.
Indira
Gandhi National Old Age Pension has been expanded by revising the criteria of
eligibility. All citizens above the age
of 65 years and living below poverty line are eligible for benefits under the
scheme. The Government also launched
the National Pension Scheme called Swavalamban Scheme for unorganized sector workers.
The
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 was enacted providing for the enhancement of livelihood
security of the households in rural areas of the country by providing at least
100 days of guaranteed wage employment in every financial year to every
household.
In addition to above, the Government is
implementing various social security schemes viz. Swarnjayanti
Gram Swarojgar Yojana, Swarnjayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojana, Prime Minister’s
Employment Generation Programme, National Social
Assistance Programme, etc. providing for social
security to the workers in the unorganized sector.
The Government have set
up Welfare Funds to provide social security/ welfare measures to certain
categories of workers i.e. beedi workers, certain
non-coal mine workers and cine workers, the welfare measures include health
care, housing, educational assistance for children, drinking water supply, etc.
The
Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shri
Harish Rawat gave this
information in reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.
YSK: PM